Fine
by KricketWilliams
Summary: Can everything really be just "fine" between them?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_AN: A new idea. As ever, I don't own a thing_.

Penelope woke with a smile and started to stretch languorously when she felt the warm hand splayed on her belly. Her eyes flew open with a start. No, it wasn't the best dream of her life; Derek was actually laying next to her, sleeping on his tummy, one arm reaching out to touch her, the other wrapped around his pillow. He was sound asleep, a little smile still gracing his lips.

_Oh, dear God!_ She thought, her mind going into overdrive. This could change everything, and she wasn't ready for everything to change. They finally did it; nearly five years of verbal foreplay, and they went and consummated their relationship. She wanted this for years. She just never thought that it would actually happen.

She slithered out of his big bed, carefully removing his hand from her belly. She looked once more at his beautiful back, the gorgeous expanse of muscle that she longed to still touch. She noticed the little scratch marks that she left, and bit her bottom lip, willing herself not to blush.

She started searching for her clothes. They were strewn all around Derek's bed room, along with the comforter and most of the pillows. She moved one of the throw pillows and found Derek's black boxers. She smiled a little; they really did get carried away.

It was all so surreal. Last night, the team decided to go for a drink. Derek was the leader of the pack, encouraging the whole bunch of them to let loose. Hotch still wasn't back from his sabbatical; Derek was the head and he filled that spot so naturally. Originally, there were some kinks to work out. He was almost too staid, too stoic. Now he seemed born for it. Somewhere down the line, it was like he realized he could still be Morgan and be an effective leader.

Penelope didn't want to go. She broke up with Kevin about a week before. She didn't let anyone know; Kevin's words were rather painful, although he didn't mean them to be. He wasn't a bad guy, really.

"Penelope," he had said, holding her hand at the coffee shop she liked to frequent. "It's like you're always holding something back from me, always half a heart away from me. I thought I would be okay with that, with just a portion of you. But I'm not."

"Kevin," she said, knowing his words were true, but still feeling horrible about it.

"It's in everything we do, Pen. Laughing, joking," he looked at her with the saddest eyes she ever saw. "Even when we made love, you held back. You know; it's really rough on a guy's ego, and I don't have much ego to lose!"

She shook her head. "Kevin, I didn't hold back." She was ashamed of herself, she knew she was lying to him, but she didn't want to admit the truth.

He laughed a little, but it was sad. He knew, he knew it wasn't the truth. He knew that the other half of her heart was occupied. He said shortly with a smile, almost teasing, but the smile didn't meet his eyes. "Then Penelope, maybe you are just frigid." He stood then, kissed her on the top of her head, and walked out of her life.

She was thinking about that when she had that fourth fuzzy navel that Derek bought her. Everyone else had gone home. He was still sitting across from her, smiling that trademark Morgan grin, trying to get her to talk to him. "Sweetheart, talk to me, or I'm gonna have to spank it out of you." His teasing was complete, whole hearted and fun loving. She looked at him and almost burst into tears.

"Baby," he said, drawing her into his arms. "What happened? You can tell me anything."

"I broke up with Kevin," she said, and he glanced down at her sympathetically. "No, no, that's no big deal, really. We weren't a super hot item anymore anyway."

His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? I did not know that. Always seemed cozy, you two." He looked at her again and arched a brow. "So, what is the problem then?"

She swallowed hard. "He said I was frigid."

He actually laughed. "You? Frigid? Baby girl, that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Hell, you make me hot just talking to you on the phone. You sure as hell are not frigid. Don't shake a negative at me, sweetness. Do I have to prove it to you?"

She just looked at him, the answer written on her face. She knew she shouldn't. This was Derek, her best friend. Not someone she should be thinking this way about. But she wanted this more than she wanted anything else. She _needed_ this more than she needed anything else.

Within a second, he registered that look, drew in a sharp inhale. Their mouths crashed together with some force. It was desperate, it was needy, it was raw, and it felt so damn good. She was on fire, so far from frigid. They never said a word to each other, there wasn't time to talk. He ended up leading her to his place, to his bed, to this rather awkward morning, stumbling trying to put her bra on, looking for her underwear.

He was a wonderful man, a fantastic friend, and a superb lover. But he wasn't in love with her. Not that way. He still had a girlfriend, which absolutely mortified her- she was the "other woman." She didn't want to think that it was pity sex, but that sat in her mind. She practically begged him, and now she probably ruined their friendship.

_No_! She wouldn't let that happen. Everything was going to be fine. He would never know that he rocked her world, that she knew without a doubt that she was holding back because she was waiting for him all these years. He didn't have to think it was anything more than an enjoyable interlude for both of them. They could go on being plain ol' buddies, Morgan and Garcia.

_Yep_, she thought as her heart clenched in her chest. She glanced over where he was sleeping before she shut the door. Tears rolled down her cheeks. _Fine._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_AN: As always, thanks for the reviews. I truly appreciate it. I will respond to them after I get this chapter out: it's begging to be written. A different POV…._

The alarm next to Derek's bed was an unwelcome intrusion. He couldn't really fuss too much though. For the first time in years, he slept like a rock. No nightmares, just a few solid hours. He knew this had everything to do with the gorgeous blonde lying next to him. She made him comfortable, made him feel home. He hit the snooze button and turned slowly, "Sweetheart, time to wa-."

Empty. Her spot was empty. Originally, he thought that maybe, just maybe, she was in the bathroom or something. "Penelope?" he said, cursing that lost sound that crept into his voice. He actually sounded a bit panicky. He leaned back on his pillow, his suave nature taking over, waiting for about two minutes more.

When she didn't answer, he jumped out of bed stark naked and looked in the pile of pillows and blankets scattered around on the floor. Nope. Clothes were gone too. Now, he was pissed. He had plans for this morning. He was going to wake her up slowly and make passionate love before they had to go to work.

He sat there thinking, and absolute disbelief crossed his face. She snuck out on him! That little devil, she was going to get it when he saw her at work today. Then he started to chuckle a bit. In all the years that he'd been doing this, since that first cheerleader in the back seat of his Monte Carlo, he had always been the one to leave. Leave it to Penelope to make things different.

And oh, did she ever make it different! He wanted to wake up with her everyday, kiss her silly, and have more mind blowing sex. He was never going to get enough of her. It was even different that they ended up at his place. He never brought any other woman here; it was too personal. But he needed Penelope to be there. He wanted to make memories here, too. He told her that he loved her at her place, he got to show her that he loved her at his.

When she said she broke up with Kevin last night, he had to hold back a cheer of delight. That was so long in the making, he could barely stand it. Finally! He dated numerous women, really trying to make a relationship with some of them, but it never worked. He always ended up back with her, her friendship meaning more than any relationship he had. As far as he was concerned, his current relationship was nullified the minute his lips touched Penelope's.

He had no choice in the matter. It seemed like he was waiting forever for her to dump that little weasel, but she kept up with him. She broke his heart when she started dating him. He told her he loved her- he had never said that to a woman before- and she went off with _Lynch._ He never could figure out why she did that, he just assumed that she didn't feel the same way he did.

Frigid! He couldn't believe it. The man was a blithering idiot- she was so hot, she practically burned his bed down. In fact: the wall in the foyer, the back of the couch, the door to his bedroom should all have singe marks. The foyer….. He thought about that and was immediately aroused again.

He was kissing her with all the pent up desire that he had for her (_Five years_!) when they stumbled through the front door. They never stopped kissing and touching, not in the cab ride home or the elevator ride up. He was pressing himself up against her body as hard as he could against the wall, trying to get to her warmth through the layers of flounce in her skirts. She was grabbing on to him, hooking a leg around his knees, trying her best to climb up his body. It was desperate, nearly clawing, and he loved every second of it.

He kissed down her neck to the valley of her very tempting cleavage, and his hands were under her skirt, touching her bare legs and silk covered derrière. It just wasn't enough. He wanted her skin, to kiss it, touch it, and he wanted it now. He sank to his knees in front of her, and ran his hands from her ankles up the length of her legs. He placed his cheek against her soft knee, then started hot, open mouthed kisses up the inside of her thigh. Until her skirt got in the way. Grabbing handfuls of the pretty fabric, he pushed it up into her hands.

She looked down at him with ever darkening eyes, her legs shaking a little as she held on to the skirt, complying with his wish. He'd never seen her look like that before: passion blushed, full of wonder and need, softly trembling. He would never forget it. There was no need to talk; they understood each other exactly. They were so in tune, each stroke, each touch a masterpiece. It was so _right_. Then….

The noisy alarm sounded again. Derek growled as he ripped the stupid cord out of the wall and knocked the damn clock off the nightstand. He needed a shower, a damn cold one, then he was going to go talk to a certain tech and ask why the hell she ducked out without even saying goodbye. More than anything, they needed to talk. Once that happened, everything would be okay. There was a lot of unfinished business between the two of them.

Dressed in his dark suit twenty minutes later, he started walking towards the door. He spied something laying on the ground. With a grin, he scooped it up and placed it in his pocket for later use.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Penelope could barely sit still at her computer. She knew that within 30 minutes, Derek Morgan was going to be coming through that door. She also knew that he wasn't going to be happy with her. She wasn't even happy with herself. Like a snake, she slunk out of his apartment, not having the courage to face him. She just couldn't do it, her heart wouldn't let her.

This was going to be no big deal to him. After all, he had sex with women all the time; why should being with her be any different? She thought about those women and had to force herself not to pout. Yeah, there was a big difference. They were all thin, gorgeous, confident. Perfect mates for Derek. He looked like he should be on the cover of People's _100 Most_ _Beautiful_, and his women could be number 20-25. Where did that leave her?

She was normally very confident, but for some reason, she floundered when it came to Derek. He was so handsome, she just couldn't see what he would see in her. He had a six pack; she had cellulite. He was sculpted; she was jello. She never worried being with someone like Lynch. Honestly, she thought Kevin was damn lucky to have her. But she couldn't say the same thing about Morgan.

That brought up the ugly truth: it had to be pity that made him do what he did last night. She really was grateful. He made her feel like the sexiest goddess that ever graced this earth. He was incredible, and somewhere in all that passion that he dolled out, she found her passion too. After all, that was her one chance with the man of her dreams. She threw caution to the wind and went for it.

She didn't have any more time to think about it. Morgan was walking his way towards her office, a determined look on his face. She decided she was going to be ahead of the game and talk to him first.

"Good Morning, Derek," she said, standing up and walking to the door, trying not to shake. _Be brave, Penelope_, she thought, drawing a breath. "Before you mention anything else, I would like to thank you for last night. It was nice. You are a wonderful friend."

"_Nice_?" he said, arching a brow at her. Although she wasn't a profiler, she could read the irritation on his face. He didn't even think it was nice? Worry and anxiety made her continue.

"Yes, it was fine. I had a little much to drink, and well, I must have thrown myself at you." She looked up at him, speaking a mile a minute. This was not going well at all. "See, Morgan, I don't want to lose the friendship that we have. This shouldn't make us feel awkward with each other. I mean, this must happen with you a lot--"

Derek interrupted her. "It was _fine_?"

"Yes, absolutely fine that it happened. Maybe it was just bound to happen. I mean, people always say we have a lot of chemistry, we're such good friends, and it would be a shame to ruin that over some meaningless act that happens to people all the time." Even as she said it, she could feel her stomach clench. It was such a lie. "After all-"

"Woman, put that motor mouth in park for a minute," he interrupted, looking at her first with some unreadable expression. Then a questioning smirk, one eyebrow raised. "Let me see if I got this straight; feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

She nodded and knew in her gut that something was definitely not right. That look on his face was not pleasant. She started to flush, hot and cold flashes hitting with a vengence. _Oh_ _hell!_ He knew she was lying, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She was in serious trouble.

"First of all, sex with me is really just like a handshake to you, baby girl. Didn't mean a damn thing, so we can pretend it never happened. And it wasn't that great either, right?" he looked at her, one eyebrow up, daring her to say a word. "And since you had too much to drink and needed a fuck, I was there and thought_ I might as well go for it_, since there wouldn't be any ramifications."

She felt really, really cheap. She had this all wrong, had him all wrong, and she needed to apologize. "Derek, I-"

He didn't acknowledge her. "And most of all, the most important thing is that despite the fact that we screwed the hell out of each other, we maintain our close friendship that we have had over the years. Nothing's changed. No reason to feel awkward." He took a step closer to her, and she actually shivered from the amount of passion and barely constrained anger he had radiating off of him.

He shoved the office door shut behind him with his foot and pulled her to him, holding her body like a second skin to his. His eyes were very dark, intense and nearly black. "Problem is, baby girl; I can't turn things around that quickly. In fact, after last night, _I_ think it's awkward if I don't do this," he growled before his mouth captured hers.

It wasn't what she expected. She thought that he was going to kiss her angrily, but he didn't. It was soft, sweet, coaxing. Gentle touches that increased her want. She opened her mouth, begging for the intrusion of his tongue. His hands came up to cup the back of her head, and she moaned as he finally deepened the kiss, kissing her for all he was worth. Her body was on instant alert; craving more and more.

But as quickly as it started, it was over. He took a step back from her and she nearly fell over into his chest. He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him. "Tell me: did I improve on _fine_? Or do we still need more work?" He let go of her and started to open the door. He reached into his pocket and tossed what was left of her little silk bikini panties at her. She flushed, they didn't even wait to get them off of her last night. She met his eyes, but didn't trust herself to say a word.

"I think we have a lot of work left to do," he growled at her. "Tonight."

And then he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She watched as he walked out the door, absolutely speechless. Holy shit, was he angry! She'd seen Derek mad before, but never like this. She started worrying almost immediately that she did something to make him mad enough to leave her. He hated lies and knew that she was perpetrating one whopper after the other.

She glanced down at the ripped drawers in her hand and quickly tucked them into the bottom of her pink wastebasket. He definitely gave her something to think about! He annihilated those last night with just a flick of his wrist. It was still surreal: his hands, his lips, his tongue, everywhere. God, he was good! How could she ever think she could go back to just being his friend?

Then she actually thought about what he said. He wasn't just angry, he was furious that she wanted to ignore what happened last night. It was obviously very important to him. _Sex with me is really just like a handshake to you, baby girl. _Was he crazy? It was the most wonderful, completely life altering experience of her life. Of course it was more than a handshake!

_Didn't mean a damn thing, _he was glaring at her when he said that, daring her to make that statement a reality. Didn't he know that she couldn't? He was that special; nothing she did with him would ever not mean a thing. She thought about him saying he was not able to turn it around so quickly. Like she could! She burned for him, even now.

She noticed too that instead of just being angry, Derek first looked very shocked. After the shock was hurt, but he hid that well. But she knew, after all, she was his best friend. He came to see her about something, and she never even let him speak! Coward that she was, she decided to free him from any possible obligation he might have felt in order to save herself from a broken heart.

Then she thought about what she said. Her face fell. Instead of giving him a chance, instead of giving herself a chance, she automatically believed that he thought the worst of her. And she insulted him! She cringed as she thought of the word "fine." What a mistake that was! It wasn't _nothing_ to him, it wasn't plain old _nice_, and it sure as hell wasn't _fine_.

_Oh, Penelope! _She thought. She doubted his obvious passion, his absolute caring. Maybe he was giving her a chance for something more and she threw it away because she was scared, filled with self doubt. How could she have been so stupid? _I really suck, _she thought, shaking her head.

A thought interrupted her wallowing in self-pity. Wait a minute- if he meant all that last night… if he was THAT angry…. She meant much more to him. How could everything change in just one night? Or was she that blind…. It finally hit her then, him liking her was never really the problem. She was so insecure in herself over the years that she would never even give a hunk like Derek a chance. She just assumed that he wouldn't be interested in her because she wasn't perfect. She groaned, _Lord, I'm kind of shallow too!_

Then she smiled. _No, hot stuff, _she thought, grinning at what she now had- the delicious knowledge that he really wanted her- as much as she wanted him too. She was done being stupid; she was going to take what she had and run with it, and then hopefully make forever out of it. "_We" don't have a lot of work to do; I do._

Derek was in an incredibly pissy mood for the rest of the day. No one even tried to joke around with him, as they usually did. They had their guesses what the problem was, but no one would ever verbalize it to their fearless leader. Instead, the entire team stayed about as far from him as they could, sans Garcia. He had no idea where she went, and frankly, he didn't give a damn.

_Yeah, you better hide_, he thought venomously. He couldn't decide what he wanted to do more: kiss her or spank her. She irritated him; she turned him on. In absolutely equal portions.

As he entered his apartment at the end of the day, he was still fuming. _Fine! _He couldn't believe she called that spectacular night _fine_. And all that stupid talk! _Morgan, I don't want to lose the friendship that we have. _He didn't want to lose it either, but he wasn't going to ignore truly beautiful lovemaking. He still wanted her even now. In fact, he wanted it all.

What was it with the woman? He told her he loved her, he made love to her with everything that he had in him, he was there for everything that ever happened to her. God he wanted her! Couldn't she tell? What the hell was her problem?

Then that rotten thought, that stupid, insecure, nasty thought rang in his head like it did two years ago, when she chose Lynch over him. _Hey buddy, maybe she's just not that into you._

With that, he went into the kitchen and popped open a beer, taking a big swig. His cell rang, _Garcia, P_. "What?" he growled.

"Tell the guard to let me in; I'm in your lobby," she said, sounding deliciously happy. What the hell did she have to be so happy about? He mumbled to security, and she said sing-song, "I'm in the elevator!"

"Great," he growled. He was going to have it out with her the second she entered the door. She wanted to be just friends? Then okay, friends it is. He was fine with it. _Yeah, _he thought nastily. _Fine._

He heard her fumbling with the door handle. He opened it quickly, not bothering to look at her, letting her walk in as he made his way to the kitchen. "What do you want to drink, baby girl?" he growled as casually he could. He wanted to kick himself. He couldn't stop growling at her, he was still that mad.

"Derek, I know we need to talk," she said from the entryway. "Please come here. First, I have to tell you something."

Nope, this was never going to work. No way could he just be a buddy. Not now. Best to just have the fight, and have it done with. "Look, Penelope," he began, heading to the door where she was. "I know we-" Immediately his mouth went dry and he lost all ability to speak.

For in that blessed, wonderful, sexy foyer of his, stood Penelope Garcia wearing nothing but a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_AN: Finishing this before CM comes on tonight. See, I watch it, then I have to right ("write"!) some wrongs that I may perceive! LOL. _

She took a step over to him until the tips of her breasts touched his chest. She reached up to cup his face, looking earnestly into his eyes. "Derek, I'm sorry for all that I said earlier. I didn't mean a word of it. Please forgive me."

For a moment, Derek just blinked at her. A split second later, he was on her, knocking her against the wall. His lips were on hers, desperate, hungry, kissing her so deeply that breath was nearly impossible. He pulled away, groaning against her neck, "No more fighting; I need to have this."

"Me too," she moaned back as his hands reached up to cup both of her breasts. God, she needed this; she needed him. She couldn't get enough of him. She was clawing at his shirt, yanking it over his head, kissing his shoulder when she finally got it bare. She ran her hands over the sculpted perfection of his chest, his rippling abs, loving the quick intake of breath that he had as her hands slipped lower. She reached down to the waistband of his jeans, working on the button, giddy when she felt it give.

They made love.

**For More of this part of the story...Please see my profile!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_AN: Final chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. Short, sweet. Enjoy._

Afterwards, they lay in his king size bed holding on to each other, her nestled close to his side. She was so happy and satisfied, she could barely stand herself. She laughed a little with her next thought. Garcia always knew Morgan would have a king size bed, satin sheets, the works (She half expected harem drapes!). Ending up there, wrapped up naked with him, that, however, was not a foregone conclusion!

It was almost odd; she said she loved him, and she was actually relieved. Like telling a secret that was begging to be told. Now, she could shout it from every rooftop, sing it on the radio, how wonderful it is to be in love. Maybe she'd send a viral email out to the world: _Penelope Garcia is in love with her best friend. Pass it on!_ She had an evil smile; she really could do it, too! She couldn't stop smiling.

He interrupted her silly thoughts. "Baby girl?"

She stretched up to kiss his cheek. "Hmm, hot stuff?" He held on to her a little tighter, a bit more desperately.. She glanced up at him, his brow was a little bit knit. He was worried, and behind that look, she saw something she never saw before. Usually, Derek was a bit arrogant, suave, almost cocky, knowing he was God's gift to women. But this Derek….. She caught her breath, and her heart ached a little.

"What you said, that you loved me, that you always loved me," he said, coming up to rest on an elbow. He leaned over her, stark vulnerabilty in his beautiful brown eyes. "You better have meant that. Angel, I am drowning in how much I love you. I can barely take it; it's so overwhelming. I need that love to stay alive; I can't go back. I mean, you told me before, and I was so sure, only-"

Never in her life would she have guessed that he was insecure about anything. He was so strong, so perfect, so capable, so alpha-male. The fact that he was insecure about her, that broke her heart. She felt like a first-class heel for all those years, always thinking about herself, not what he was thinking. She was done doubting, done being insecure. Never again would he have to doubt her either!

"Oh, Derek," she said, blinking to keep tears back. "I'm so sorry. I meant it, even back then, I meant it. I really love you. I just couldn't see how someone like you could love someone like me."

He arched a brow at her, frowning. "And what is wrong with you?"

She looked up at him, speechless for a moment. Then it hit her, and she was absolutely astonished. He was dead serious. He didn't see a damn thing wrong with her. She started to giggle. "Oh, honey! I am so sorry for being so stupid... for way too long."

He grinned back at her, his wonderful Morgan grin that she was waiting for; it signalled that everything was okay. "Woman, stop apologizing, or I am simply gonna spank you."

"Really?" she said, her eyebrows raised. She wiggled them a little with a teasing glint in her eyes, "Did I tell you I am so sorry? Terribly, terribly sorry. Sorry sorry sorry. Quite sorry."

He shook his head, laughing. "Crazy girl, how I love you," he murmured, before his lips captured hers yet again.


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: In the middle of the angst of my new story, this popped in my head. Decided that if any story could use a kinky little epilogue, "Fine" was it! Warning: this is very, very graphic. MUCH more than chapter 5. Proceed with caution... As always, I don't own a thing._

Everything was set. It was all glorious. She wanted it to be perfect for him; he was her perfect love, after all.

She knew the minute he walked in the door that plans needed to change, that all bets were off. He had tension absolutely radiating off of him. The stress of the last case caused his beautiful brow to knit, and his eyes had very little sparkle left. Plus, he had a meeting with the brass that she knew he hated. He never wanted to spend any more time with Strauss and her cronies than he had to. She watched him shrug off his coat, toss it on the bench in the entryway, and flip off his shoes.

Nope. _This simply won't do_, she thought. Tonight was very special: his mood needed to change, and quickly.

He walked over to where she was standing in the living room. He dropped a quick kiss on her lips, then yanked his soft Henley shirt over his head. "I'm going to take a shower." But before he could take a step away, she held onto him by a few of the belt loops on his Levi's.

He turned to look at her, smiling for the first time today, a questioning look on his face. "Baby, what is going on in that clever mind of yours?"

They made love.

"Happy birthday, hot stuff," she said, winking saucily at him before standing up. "Now get showered before everyone gets here." She went to turn away, but he halted her this time.

"Uh-uh, sweetheart," he said, dragging her against his chest, kissing her hard. Now she was the one shivering. "Not unless you get in there with me. And remember: paybacks are a bitch."

His wicked smile as he lead her into the shower let her know, she was in for a very wild ride. And indeed, everything was going to be just _fine._

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